Knockout Chaos represented a significant moment in boxing, with AJ poised for a comeback and Ngannou transitioning from MMA. The film needed to match the anticipation and thrill of this major fight, resonating with fans across generations of both boxing and MMA. Departing from traditional, stereotypical fight promos, our film embraced a more cinematic approach, meticulously crafted and infused with entertaining storytelling. This fresh take garnered praise from media outlets for its innovative approach to promoting fights.

Riyadh Season is the entertainment initiative of the General Entertainment Authority to promote tourism in Saudi. It is a 6 month-long entertainment event (October to March) that aims to promote the city of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to the world. From gastronomic experiences, to concerts, plays, art, sporting events and world-class shopping, there’s something for everyone at Riyadh Season.

However, for many years, Riyadh Season has been popular among the local population and the surrounding Middle East region. And didn’t attract many international travellers.

To change this perception and make Riyadh even more attractive to international audiences, they decided to promote their crowning event – Boxing.

With a number of huge fights already under their belt, Riyadh has become the Mecca of boxing in the world, bar none.

Each fight is unique in its matchup and has a story to tell. Hence no two campaigns are the same. Each is backed by insights of the fighters, or their history. Knockout Chaos was promoted as two world-class fighters from different combat genres coming together with their impressive knockout records and chaos they bring.

The film opens in bustling New York City. Ngannou walking through the gridlocked traffic receives a call from his agent confirming the fight with Joshua. Just then he gets shoulder barged by a bloke in a hoodie. Turns out it’s AJ himself. The crowd picks up on the tension and spurs them on to fight in the middle of the street. The film then sees both these heavyweights knock each other senseless with their trademark power punches, sending one another other flying across different global destinations, all while seamlessly transitioning between the real and 16-bit world. From New York to Mexico and Japan, the film finally reaches its exhilarating climax in Riyadh at Friday’s fight night at the Kingdom Arena, where both fighters unleash a devastating punch knocking each other out on the canvas. As the simulation comes to an end.

Riyadh Season is known for pulling off the impossible. This year saw one of the biggest crossover fights in history take place between two of the world’s biggest fighters – Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou. But what made this fight so unique and highly anticipated was both Joshua & Ngannou were heavyweight champions who made it to the top of their respective disciplines, boxing and MMA. And with both possessing devastating knock out stats courtesy their power punches, this made it a dream matchup and something the world was waiting to see. Our goal was to spark global conversation and resonate across generations, driving Pay Per View subscriptions, boosting ticket sales, and positioning Saudi Arabia as a top-tier destination for hosting world-class boxing events. So, we broke the mould of traditional boxing promos and opted for something as exciting as the fight itself.

The film was an ambitious one, showcasing multiple populated scenes set in the late 80’s to early 90’s. In order to immerse our audience into that living, breathing world of combat-style arcade games, collaboration between the art direction and production design teams was key. From set design including the large Cadillacs that drove the streets of New York, hotdog stands, cop cars, the famous yellow cabs, to the details like street signs, the architecture at the time, down to even tinnier details in the wardrobe that were in fashion at that time. However, that was just one location. It was crucial that we manifest the same attention to detail in creating the other two locations, a small Mexican town in the midst of celebrating the ‘Dis dos Muertos’ festival with a giant La Catrina-esque effigy, and a popular fish market in Tokyo.